If you have signed into Huddle since yesterday afternoon, you probably saw the message that we have all been waiting to see!

With the NFL season kicking off on tomorrow alongside the 2015 version of the app, we can all start revving our engines to get ready for what is coming. Although we have NO confirmation as to the direction of how things will play out when things launch tomorrow, I am still beyond ramped up to see what is going to go down.

I posted my launch primer a few days ago, and now that we have confirmation that the game should be ready to rock as the NFL season gets going, things change a bit. Honestly, I was hoping the game would be live today, if not only so the preview packs and other cards would have time to launch appropriately. Although I am confident that the team has their plan buttoned up – planning and execution are two very different things when you are dealing with as many uncontrollable elements as the Huddle team has to deal with.

With the first live points flowing in on day one as well, there is a big chance that the enormous traffic could have a major impact. Think about this – day one of the app has a HUGE amount of people looking to return and reclaim their collection from last year. There is also a HUGE amount of people who will want to play along with a nationally televised game. Combining the two could be a recipe for a slew of challenges, even though I am fully expecting the team to be 100% ready to handle any of the situations that should arise.

If I am the Huddle team, I would do everything in my power to get things launched tonight or at the latest – EARLY tomorrow morning. There would be no greater disappointment than a mess for opening night, and I feel like a buffer is needed to ensure everything is locked down. With app production and development schedules in place, that might not be available, but I would move mountains to get it out with the sunrise if I could.

Outside of those things, I would expect that there will be a big contest to launch the season, and hopefully that will include some big releases of cards that should be playable for that game. There should be a lot of Patriots and Steelers cards already live through the base set, but I would be shocked if Game Boosts or other inserts werent released as well. This is where I cant even put into words the excitement that exists for someone like me, a person who lives and breathes NFL.

I would also guess that the Kickoff set will launch tomorrow (if that set happens), as well as a potential signature card from whomever ends up as Huddle’s spokesperson for 2015. Whether its Marshawn Lynch or a new player, I would guess that there will be no shortage of fireworks that will explode over Huddle nation as the season gets underway.

This has been a LOOOOONG offseason for Huddle, as it was clear that the game died down fairly quickly after the Super Bowl closed out. With only head shots to keep people around, there just wasnt as much allure to collecting in a game where the play element was so dominant in 2014. Although some of the BEST cards of the year were released during the offseason, it was almost too little too late, which was beyond unfortunate.

There were some AMAZING nights for the the NFL Draft and that really showed the potential that exists within the app, and the Rookie Premiere goods were definitely awesome. If anything, it showed the need to take the game to the next level, and left people hungry for more as the offseason rolled on. Outside of those events, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING banks on tomorrow.

For the record, my prediction is that there will not be a Kick style relaunch to the game. Kick tends to be its own thing, and from the enormous negative reaction it has received, I would doubt the new build will feature any that doesnt resemble both Star Wars or Bunt. It should look very similar to the experience in those games if I had to guess.

Similarly, another season of head shots is the major question on people’s minds. Im not saying that full licensing is off the table, as we have not heard anything definitive from the team. I have also not gotten any indication that even without a full license, head shots will be back. We saw that with sets released during the offseason – there are ways to do this and do this well, license or no license. If somehow the NFL does come to Huddle, look out. And I mean get out of the way for the sheer mass of people that will be all over this app. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens. The potential is huge, and I literally cannot wait to see what happens.

Huddle had its issues last year, no doubt, but I think the game is changed for the better this time around. They have the opportunity to go into 2015 with a formulated approach, and they likely know down to the card, what they are able to do and what they are not able to do. That is a luxury that should provide some great content regardless of the licensing situation. This really is a make or break year for this app, as its clear that Topps has a huge winner in Star Wars, Bunt and Kick. That’s not saying Huddle has no place at the table, but it definitely needs a big year to show that it can be the workhorse that I think it can be.

With the game mere hours from hitting the app store, I want to wish everyone a great season. I will be delivering TONS of content as we progress through the weeks, including contest primers, card releases, and commentary/reviews on content. Follow along on Twitter – @SCUncensored and in the game under the same name.

I will also be launching my insert checklist tomorrow as well, which will chronicle everything that is released over the course of the year. If you have any questions at all, dont hesitate to ask.

About Digital Card Central

This site is not affiliated with Topps, Topps Bunt, Topps Star Wars Card Trader or Topps Huddle in any way. All content on this site is opinion and based on experience. This is a fan site of the game, made by someone who very much enjoys the community it represents.